Adjustable wall clamping means for door bucks



May 10, 1966 s. SKLAR 3,250,049

' ADJUSTABLE WALL CLAMPING MEANS FOR DOOR BUCKS Filed Dec. 20, 1963 INVENTOR. /Za 5/4/7062 S/r44e I BY mm T 1. mgibq T513.

United States Patent 1 O 3,250,049 ADJUSTABLE WALL CLAMPING MEANS FOR DOOR BUCKS Samuel Sklar, 63-153 Alderton St., Rego Park, NY. Filed Dec. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 332,093 1 Claim. (Cl. 52-211) This invention relates to door frames, bucks, and the like and more particularly is directed to knock-down door bucks preformed of sheet metal as used in fire resistant portal constructions and is a modification of the construction described in my Patent No. 3,156,331, granted November 10, 1964 entitled Knock-Down Buck Construction with Adjustable Wall Clamping Means. The door bucks embodying this invention are for use directly on doorway openings formed inpartitions and wall constructions of sheet rock, plaster blocks, cinder blocks, concrete or the like without the utilization of supporting frames'of wooden studs and lintels. j

Among the objects of the invention is to generally improve door buck constructions of the character described which shallbe capable of conforming to requirements of the fire underwriters for fireproof and fire resistant portal construction, which shall comprise three preformed basic parts which require relatively unskilled labor for assembly and installation, which preformed parts in knock-down condition shall require a minimum of shipping space and shall permit easy and rapid installation in an unframed doorway opening formed or cut in a partition or wall construction, which shall be formed with inturned opposite flanges for contacting the partition or wall bordering the doorway opening as a finished joint therewith and have simplified and improved means for adjusting the spacing between the flanges for clamping the wall therebetween, which shall entirely eliminate the labor and material costs of framing a doorway with studs and lintel prior to installation of the door buck and shall serve to strengthen partitions made of sheet rock and the like, and which shall be rugged in construction and practical and etficient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists of features'of construction, combination of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter disclosed, the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims following.

In the accompanying drawing in which an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a wall or partition having a doorway formed therein in which a three piece buck embodying the invention is installed.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 in FIG. 1, showing details of the jamb fitted over and clamping a wall or partition and illustrating the slightly bowed position of the strap means reducing the spacing between the inwardly extending flanges and clamping the wall or partition in accordance with the invention, the broken lines indicating the disposition of the jamb parts and strap means in an expanded condition to permit mounting on a vertical edge of the doorway prior to tightening the set screw to effect clamping.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 33 in FIG. 2 showing other details of the strap means for reducing the flange spacing, and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view looking into the interior of the jamb, prior to installation, showing additional details of construction.

Referring in detail to the drawing, denotes a knockdown door buck or frame constructed to embody the invention seen to include a head piece 11 for extending ice horizontally across the top of the doorway and interconnecting at opposite ends thereof with vertically extending jambs 12.

Head piece 11 may be formed to conform to and interconnect with jambs 12 in any suitable manner, as for example, as fully described in my said patent and in my copending application Ser. No. 332,092 filed December 20, 1963.

Jambs 12, which are mirror images of each other but otherwise identical, are formed of sheet metal as channel-shaped members having opposite side walls 12b extending at substantially right'angles to jamb portions thereof, the latter having door stop portions 12d, U- shaped in cross section, projecting therefrom and positioned to provide vertical door framing portions which on one of the jambs may carry hinge plates 17. The edges of side walls 12b opposite jamb portions 120 have inwardly bent flanges 12a forming vertical finished edges for jambs 12, flanges 12a terminating in inner edges 12e serving as elements of the adjustable wall or partition clamping means embodying the invention. Bottom ends of jambs 12'may be squared off, that is, have edges ex.- tending at right angles with respect to the longitudinal axis of the jambs for standing flat on a flooring surface. The upper ends of jambs 12 may be formed in any suitable manner for interconnecting with the opposite ends of the head piece 11, as for example, as in the constructions shown and described in my said patent and copending application.

Jambs 12, being formed of channel-shaped stock, permit side walls 12b to be sprung, that is, distorted from a slightly divergent to a substantially parallel or a convergent relation along the width thereof to decrease the distances between the inner edges 12c of flanges 12a and thereby serve as a clamping means for gripping a wall or partition W in which door buck 10 is installed.

This clamping action is accomplished in accordance with the invention by providing adjustable constricting means at spaced intervals along jambs 12. Each of such constricting means is seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 to comprise a stiffening plate 13, a pair of angle members 14, a strap 15, a bolt 16 and nut 16a. stiffening plate 13 is shaped to conform to the'inner surface of jamb portion 12c including door stop portion 12d and is suitably attached thereto as by spot welding. Each angle member 14 is positioned in the corner or bend made by side wall 12b and flange 12a and is held in position by spot welding to flange 12a.

Strap 15 is shaped to provide an intermediate section 15a and a pair of divergent arm sections 15b, each terminating in 'an inwardly bent tab section 15c. The latter may be rigidly attached to flange 12a by welding to the interior surface of angle member 14 so that each bend 15d between arm section 15b and tab coincides with the bend of angle member 14. Bolt 16, which may have a tapering head for countersinking and be formed to receive an Allen wrench, extends through door stop portion 12d, stiffening plate 13 and intermediate section 15a terminating in not 16a which may seat in a conforming depression 15e of intermediate section 15a for retention against rotation. The bends between intermediate section 15a and divergent arm sections 15c are stiffened against flexing, as by stamping thereacross a plurality of depressed ribs 15f. As is clear from FIGS. 3 and 4, strap 15 is about half the height or length of plate 13 and angle members 14 and is centralized with respect thereto. It is to be understood that one or more of the adjustable constricting means may likewise be incorporated in head piece 11 which is channel-shaped to conform substantially to jambs 12 in the mariner shown and described in my said patent and copending application.

Patented May 10, 1966 The utility of the invention will now be apparent. Door buck is particularly adapted for use in any partition or wall structure made of cinder blocks, concrete, gypsum block, steel stud partition or wall construction with sheetrock facing and the like, without the use of a wooden doorway frame and is here illustrated in combination with a partition W, details of construction of which are omitted. A doorway is suitably cut or otherwise provided for in partition W in the well understood manner to predetermined dimensions corresponding to the size of buck 10 to be used.

Door buck 10 is delivered on the job in a knock-down condition with bolts 16 adjusted to dispose side walls 12b in a slightly divergent or substantially parallel position to space inner edges 12e of flanges 12a a predetermined distance apart to snugly accommodate the thickness of wall W therebetween. In this position as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 3, intermediate section a of each strap 15 is substantially straight and spaced from stiffening plates 13. Door buck 10 is then simultaneously installed and assembled with minimum of labor and skill as described in my said patent and copending application.

To complete the installation of door buck 10, whereby opposite flanges 12a of jambs 12 and corresponding flanges of head piece 11 are brought toward each other by the adjustable constricting means to clampingly engage wall W therebetween, bolts 16, with the aid of an Allen wrench, are tightened, that is, rotated in a clockwise direction. As is clear from FIG. 2, as each bolt 16 is tightened, intermediate section 15a in the region of depression 15e is urged toward plate 13, from the broken line position to the full line position. The angle of the bends between intermediate section 15a and arm sections 15b being substantially fixed by ribs 15 causes bowing of intermediate section 15a, pulling divergent arm sections 15b and hence flanges 12a toward each other reducing the spacing between edges 12:: so that the latter clamp opposite sides of wall W. To accomplish this, bend 15d may flex slightly and side walls 12b flex at their bend joining jamb portion 12c, angle members 14 serving to prevent bowing of side walls 12b along the width thereof.

It is thus seen that there is provided an adjustable wall clamping means for door bucks of the character described in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In a channel-shaped jamb having a jamb portion integrally formed with opposite side walls for extending over a vertical edge of a wall bordering a doorway cut therein and flanges inwardly bent toward each other extending from said opposite side walls for clampingly contacting opposite sides of said wall, the combination of adjustable means coacting with said side walls to flex the latter with respect to the jamb portion and bring said flanges toward each other to eifect said clamping contact, said adjustable means including a plurality of straps spaced from each other along said jamb, a transverse stiffening plate attached to the interior of said jamb portion in alignment with each strap, each strap being formed as an integral structure having an intermediate section spaced from the stiffening plate and a pair of opposite arm sections bent at an angle to the intermediate section with a plurality of rib depressions extending across the bend to rigidify the structure against relative flexing, a headed and threaded bolt extending from the exterior through openings in said jamb portion, stiffening plate and a central region of said intermediate section terminating in a nut, said central region having a nut conforming depression seat for retaining the nut against rotation, each of said arm sections terminating in an attachment tab bent with respect thereto and welded to one of said inwardly bent flanges, each of said bolts, nuts and straps being constructed and arranged on rotation of the bolt to bow the intermediate section by bringing the central region thereof toward the jamb portion thereby causing said tabs terminating the arm sections to be urged inwardly toward each other to effect said side wall flexing and wall clamping.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,068,656 7/1913 Holmes 18946 2,400,266 5/1946 Soffer 20-92 2,808,136 10/1957 Hammitt et al 189-36 3,156,331 11/1964 Sklar 189-46 HARRISON R; MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. K. DOWNEY, Assistant Examiner. 

